The Devastation of Diagnosis

"Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life." Romans 8:6 (Msg)

Dear Friend,
Let me see if I have your story straight. Recently you began to bleed from your intestines every time you went to the bathroom. You were frightened. You began to panic. You called everyone you knew. The next day you had a colonoscopy and were told that a tumor in your colon had probably been there for three or four years. Two days later you were assigned a surgeon and scheduled for surgery. You were so panic-stricken that you didn't even know what questions to ask. Now, after your surgery, you're here in the hospital receiving a combination of chemotherapy and radiation for an indefinite period of time.

If that, or something close to it, is your story, I can't even begin to imagine how sad you must feel -- not to mention all the other feelings you're having. In only a short span of time your world has been completely turned upside down. You've lost control of your life. Your future plans have been put on hold. Your life, as you knew it, has come to an immediate stop. You must feel as though you've been in a car accident or a train wreck. Sadness is the feeling we have when we experience loss, and you've lost a good deal -- particularly control over your life.

I encourage you to resist the temptation to become obsessed with your situation. It leads to a dead end. You do have some control left in your life, and that has to do with what you pay attention to, what you allow your mind to focus on. As the Scriptures teach us, "Attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life."

Now is the time for you to learn from your experiences. Others have gone through what you're going through and survived. Those who do survive often experience spiritual renewal as they sense God's goodness and love overpowering this disease we call cancer.

I invite you to calm down as much as you can. Relax. Your healing will take some time. Allow God to work in and through the doctors, nutritionists and other caregivers and their treatment. Allow God to bless you during this time of need in your life.

Lord Jesus, cancer can be a whirlwind -- devastating, destructive, life-changing. As my friend tries to pick up the pieces of his life, help him not to focus on all that is negative, but rather to focus his mind on You and all that is being done for him by so many others. Lead him into the open, into a spacious, cancer-free life. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Reprinted by permission of the author from his book A Season of Hope and through the courtesy of the publisher, Cook Communications Ministries.

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